Has the cost of HiFi gotten a bit too much?

OMG, they got me! Still, it wouldn't surprise me. ;-)

Want to see what one hi-fi retailer thinks it can get you to spend money on? I am NOT making this up, the following were pictured in today’s email from The Music Room:

- Roller Hero Tubility Belt, a leather (looking, at least) utility belt that has loops to hold small signal and power output tubes. Yours for the low, low price of $799.

- Kitty Kable Riser. This 4-pk. of cable risers not only serves its’ obvious function, but also wards off pesky felines. Only $1,199.

- Best of all: TMR (yes, The Music Room invented this product, and claims to have patended it) Maxcavator 99.9999 Pure Silver 6-Piece Audiophile Earwax Removal Kit. If the kit’s $2,759 price tag seems a little high, remember: it includes six utensils, and they are not made of that inferior .999 pure silver, but the real deal: 4-9’s silver. After using the kit’s utensils, you will finally hear music reproduced in full fidelity. Does the kit come with a money-back guarantee? ;-)

When I bought an ARC SP-3, D51, and D75 in 1973, they were priced at $595, $695, and $995. Not that much more than the price of mass-market mid-fi components. Sure, the price of ARC products has over the ensuing years risen far more than has inflation, but many would argue so has their sound quality. But $25,000 for a pre-amp?! I lay the blame for the absurd price of ultra high end products at the feet of Mark Levinson, who started the whole high end (I hate the term) "snob appear" movement. He, and Harry Pearson and his accomplices at TAS.

On the other hand, do Schitt products (and Rega, and others) sound better per dollar than did budget components of the 70’s and 80’s? IMO, based on sound quality vs. cost, there are current products which are a better value than at any time in the past. I would now much rather own a pair of Magnepan LRS than a pair of AR-3a’s, which in 1968 cost $500/pr. The same can be said of Vandersteen’s Model 2 loudspeaker, or any number of other beer-budget products.

For those who don’t mind buying used (as with other above, imo THE way to go), one can pick up a Music Reference RM-10 for $1500, an RM-9 for $2000, and an RM-200 for $3000. Better than comparably priced ARC amps, but then no bragging rights. Except to those who value design genius, build quality, reliability, sound quality, and value. The RM-9 is a far, far better amp than is a used $2000 ARC. IMO.

When it comes to value, I will once again point ya’ll to the Eminent Technology LFT-8b, imo the absolute best deal in all of audiophiliadom (an opinion shared VPI’s Harry Weisfeld, who proclaimed the LFT-8b to provide the best midrange reproduction he has ever heard, regardless of price. As the owner of the QUAD ESL, I wouldn’t go THAT far ;-). I expect that advice will be, as usual, ignored. Suit yourself.